Independent MLAs Talk BC Separatism After Liberal Win

While B.C. political leaders congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney for winning the federal election, the three former Conservatives sitting as Independent MLAs called for a discussion of western secession.

“I look forward to working with [Carney] on the priorities that I think all Canadians have right now,” Premier David Eby said Tuesday morning, “which is ensuring we are standing up strong to the threat presented by Donald Trump to our sovereignty, to our economy, to our jobs.”

It’s a time for all provinces and territories to work together to grow the economy and diversify markets for their products, he said. “British Columbia is a core part of this strategy to respond to the president’s threats to our country. We will be central to the growth of the country’s economy in the years to come because of our ports, because of our resources, because of our people.”

The three former Conservatives, however, see a country so divided that B.C. might be better off on its own.

“I think the election reveals a huge divide in our country between urban and rural centres,” said Dallas Brodie, the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena. “I think there’s going to have to be a deep discussion going forward about what’s going to happen for western provinces. What do we do when we see such a huge chunk of blue sweeping across all of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and a little tiny pocket of red down in the bottom western corner of B.C.?”

Are she and the other two Independents, Jordan Kealy from Peace River North and Tara Armstrong from Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, serious about separation from the rest of Canada?

“I think we need to hear from people about this issue, yes,” Brodie said. “People want to feel like they have a voice. Is secession the answer? I don’t know that. I do look to the leadership of Alberta saying ‘We need things if we want to stay in this game.’ I think a lot of British Columbians also feel like we need to have some needs met if want to stay in this game as well.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, in B.C. the Liberals had won 41.7 per cent of the popular vote, edging out the Conservatives at 41 per cent. That gave the Liberals 20 seats, mainly in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, and the Conservatives 19, mainly in northern and rural parts of the province.

The NDP won three seats, and the Greens held on to Elizabeth May’s riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The results were more lopsided in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre took more than 63 per cent of the vote and won all but four of the 51 seats in the two provinces.

Brodie said she was disappointed in the Conservative result nationally but happy the Liberals had been held to a minority government.

“It seems like the decisions are always being made back east,” she said. “We have the results of the election almost before we’ve even finished voting, and it’s very discouraging for westerners to feel like we really don’t have a voice in what’s going on in this country.”

Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad said he doesn’t support western secession but sees the election as an opportunity to strengthen the province and the country.

“We’ll see how things go, but my perspective is very clear in that Prime Minister Carney has a job in front of him and I think it’s a great opportunity, a crossroads in where we’re at in Canada, to renew our Confederation,” said Rustad.

A united Canada has the resources, including natural gas, to have a high standard of living and access to high-quality health care, he said. “We have all this potential and it’s unfortunately being wasted as an opportunity because we’re hopelessly managed.”

The Conservatives received a larger percentage of the vote than they’ve won in almost 40 years, Rustad said, adding that it was the worst result for the NDP in decades, calling it “the broad rejection, quite frankly, of that more socialist approach that the NDP tends to represent.”

Eby acknowledged the NDP’s lost ground. “It was a tough night for our federal cousins, there’s no question about it,” Eby said, and thanked Jagmeet Singh for his time as federal NDP leader. Singh worked hard for people and delivered on dental care and pharmacare, programs that make a real difference for people, he said.

Eby ruled out running for leader of the federal party. “I do hope that someone steps up to run for the federal party that has a commitment to bringing Canadians together, a commitment to rebuilding the party and ensuring the federal NDP can play an important role in the future of Canada.”

As he has several times since becoming premier, Eby stressed that B.C. needs the same access to federal programs and funding that other provinces get.

It’s a time for Canadians to come together to eliminate internal trade barriers, strengthen the economy and protect jobs while supporting public services and making sure people can afford housing and other basics, he said.